Fishing lures that are jerked up and down or while being drawn through the water are commonly known as jigs. Such movement attracts a fish to strike at the lure and become hooked. One type of jig which has been used includes a body or head having an eye that protrudes from its front end and to which the line is tied, and an upwardly extending hook that is rigidly attached to the rear portion of the body. A bundle of bristles can be mounted on the body in front of and in longitudinal alignment with the hook to provide a weed guard that helps in preventing the hook from hanging up in various underwater plant life. A trailing artificial bait can be mounted on the hook to provide a realistic appearance that should attract more fish and result in more strikes. Such jigs typically are used to fish for bass in fresh water.
Prior jigs of the type described have suffered from a number of shortcomings. For example the body is molded around a bent section of the shank of the hook in a manner such that the eye of the hook sticks out in front of the body. This construction tends to hang up in grass and weeds in a highly undesirable manner. Another problem with prior designs is that such jigs will not stand up on bottom so that any artificial or other bait that is mounted on the hook as a trailer lays on the bottom and is not attractive to fish. Thus the number of strikes that are obtained is greatly reduced.
An object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved jig having the weight of the body distributed in a manner such that the jig stands up to provide a more realistic appearance for bait mounted on the hook thereof.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved jig where the eye of the hook to which the line is attached is inset in the front nose of the body to reduce the likelihood of hang-ups.